Things We've Been Up To

Let me tell you, it's not a lot. 

I went back to my expensive paperweight of a car one last time to say goodbye.

We honestly got a way better deal than I anticipated from it. We used Carvio.com and they did all the work and just showed up with a tow truck and a check. It was definitely a better deal than the $100 most places were going to give me or even the $500 the dealership was offering as a trade-in price. We were very happy. 

I have read some negative reviews about Carvio online and that wasn't our experience at all. 

We finished up the third quarter! I can't believe we are in the home stretch of the school year. 

Report cards looked good and life on that end is pretty dandy. 

Saturday, I spent the whole day with my girly. We went to a show in the morning. It was cute. 

We came home and played air fryer for lunch. My dad sent us a gift of an air fryer, so we were trying it out. The boneless wings came out wonderfully. 

We went to 2 grocery stores to buy a lot of cookies for her STEM fair project that asks which brand of cookies has the most chocolate? (Chips Ahoy, Benton (Aldi) Happy Belly (Amazon) Crav'n (Generic Brand) That's Smart (Another Generic Brand)

We also began the project. Dissolving cookies in water, then weighing the chocolate. We're still working on the project but will keep you posted! 

Then, later, we went to a second show! 

This lady dropped her credit card into the platform, and M was the assistant during the intermission rescue. They were unsuccessful and were to try again post show. We did not stick around for that. 

My bonus kid G was in the show, and she was lovely. We are so glad we were able to go! 

Then on Sunday I got to spend the whole day with my guy! We went with a group to the Iowa Catholic Youth Conference for middle schoolers. 

There were so many things to do, including a concert by Connor Flannigan. (Who? I know. He is apparently a Christian hip hop artist. I can confirm that I didn't understand a single word that was said/sung by him but google tells me it's all appropriate and Christ centered.) 

He humored me with this picture. 

The host parish was having a Kolache sale. I of course brought some home! 

My favorite of the breakout sessions was the one for introverts: Just Be with God. It was a room for quiet prayer. The Deacon in charge turned off the lights (plenty of light coming in from the windows) and played quiet instrumental music. You could read the bible. Rest your eyes. Color a scripture. Pray a rosary. Bliss.

I loved the crucifixes they had displayed around the parish center and church. 

And that's what we've been up to. It doesn't seem like a ton, but I am very thankful for a boring life is pretty normal update. Absolutely no April Fools there! 

M in the Kitchen

 M got two different America's Test Kitchen cookbooks for Christmas. 

Which is fun! And also helpful. She is FOR SURE our picky eater and also stubborn as all get out. 

For example, she will not eat grilled cheese but loves a cheese quesadilla. (I know. I KNOW. It is maddening.) 

But people are always saying that kids will eat the food they cook so we had her choose one main dish and one dessert to make on Saturday.

The dessert was a Raspberry Clafouti. Here it is about to go into the oven!

And here it is out of the oven. Clearly the dinner prep started too. The clafouti needed to cool for at least a half hour. 

Dinner prep was tedious but successful. This was Sesame Noodles. It should have been a home run.

In reality, she ate only the sugar snap peas and carrots. Now I admit it, I am not a huge peanut butter fan so I also didn't particularly love this but C really really did. And Husband ate all of his too. 

M did in fact enjoy her clafouti. 

And we will find some new recipes for next week's adventure! 

The Saga of the Last 2 Weeks

Lent is going to Lent. 

Let me just tell you, I have never liked Lent. The liturgical season doesn't make any sense to me at all. It's very Protestant of me isn't it? Nevertheless, I have always said, "Lent will find you." I just anticipate that Lent is going to Lent. 

Giving up all the candy in the world is nothing compared to the real-life Lent things. And boy howdy did Lent find us. 

So here we were. The first two Lenten days were fine. No problem. Even some good things. Then that first Friday hit. 

M had a well check. Turns out her heart rate was a little high. And she was overdue for her follow-up Echo so we got that scheduled. I was not even a little bit worried. 

The next morning was M's piano festival. C was staying home. Husband was driving my car. We got to the village (less than a mile from our house) and stopped at a 4-way stop. As we began to accelerate we heard a weird squealing noise. I even rolled my window down to determine if it was my car but there was no further noise. Then the car stopped accelerating. We pulled into the Spoon Museum parking lot. Ironically, it was exactly a year TO THE DAY that I was there last year. (Blog post was written a few days after the fact.)

We turned the car off. And then tried to turn the car on. It wouldn't start. M lost her mind. She was going to be late. I just started calling people we knew who were going to be at the festival too. First phone call, they didn't play til 11. Second phone call straight to voicemail. And then I remembered, when I went to pick M up from school early I chatted with the school secretary, also C's bestie's mom, and her son Jack played about the same time as M. 

So I called them. They were on their way but behind us and would drive right by so I asked if M could hop in with them and at least be there. By the grace of God Jack and M were scheduled to be in the SAME ROOM. So they had M. Husband walked home to get his car and I waited for a tow. 

Husband didn't make it to the festival in time to hear M play but he was able to get her home. I got my car towed and did not fall out of the tow truck and holy heck those things are TALL. 

Then we got home and C's new shoes were delivered WITHOUT SHOES IN THE BOX. 

At this point, I was done for the day but we still had Mass and dinner and going to the high school show. M's best friend was in it so there was no way we weren't going. 

Fast forward to Monday. Luckily, Husband could drop us all off since we all go to the same spot. We had M pack extra snacks to stay after and it was going to be fine. 

My car was scheduled to be seen at 10:45. And I waited. At like 4:45 they called me and I didn't have great service because I was over at the school. He started using fancy car words and I asked for the price. 

And my world literally crashed when I learned it was definitely more than the car was worth and now we would have to go car shopping. This is a car I bought in 2021. It has less than 100,000 miles on it. It got a brand new battery in December. It had a full tank of gas. There was NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. Until there was and now I needed to buy a new car. 

Later that night Husband was speaking with his dad and we learned he received a diagnosis that is not mine to share since he apparently hasn't told much of anyone yet. Wasn't that just the cherry on top?

So the next few days were full of our one-car family trying to do all the things on a dress rehearsal, family faith formation night, final push til Spring Break week. Oh. With some car shopping thrown in. And trying to just hold it together because things were looking bleak. 

Not sure if you've bought a car lately but it's awful. There are no vehicles. And the ones they have are $10,000 more than the last time you bought a car. And I had a lot of feelings about it. Not one single part of it was fun. 

On Wednesday was M's echo. And it took way longer than I expected. But she watched Bluey and it was okay. 

Definitely, was not supposed to take this picture but whatever. We got her to school and went to test drive a car that we decided we liked enough to put a deposit on because the dealership just got it and they weren't sure if it would pass inspection. But it wouldn't be ready for a while. Probably Monday. 

And just like that... there went my Spring Break. Yes, we were just going to MN but I had plans and I was mad. 

Thursday was C's show. But his replacement shoes came and they were actually in the box so that's something! 

Friday was also C's show and the day of the crazy storms that hit across the country. At this point I was pretty certain if anyone was going to have their house blow away it was going to be us. So I holy watered the heck out of the house, charged every single external battery and the travel sound machines plus 2 kindles so I could read when we lost power. 

The upside is we never lost power. 

Saturday I was going to sleep in and Husband decided to take the kids to the St. Patrick's Day parade. They were also salty about not going to MN for the break so we were trying to find fun inexpensive things to do. (Because down payments y'all and yes there's an emergency fund but the fun budget gets thrown into that one too.) 

And Husband's car wouldn't start. 

When I tell you I was in despair that was an understatement. By the way, his car had gotten a new battery about 3 weeks before so... lots of fun. 

My best friend took matters into her own hands and they were leaving town for Spring Break but on their way out of town brought us their daughter's car. So we could at least go grocery shopping, and get to Mass. 

AAA came, jumped Husband's car and then Husband got it to a shop and I came to get him in the borrowed car. 

I prayed really really hard at Mass. 

Monday (St. Patrick's Day) we were all home together. Husband's car had a bad battery and a million other things. We picked a not small number of things to do to get the car running well because we really can't do 2 car payments so we need it to run for at least a few more years. 

AND the dealer called and told us the new to us car wouldn't be ready til Thursday or Friday. 

Tuesday Husband went to work and the kids and I were home. I got the phone call about the Echo finally. It's not nothing and we are even going to do another Echo to determine the plan of action. This was reading Sunrise on the Reaping day.

Wednesday we thought Husband's car would be ready. He came home from work a little early. We got the phone call that SUPRISE the new to us car was ready and I immediately called the bank to up my spending limit to pay for the down payment. 

We bought a car. And I will write all about it another time but I have a lot of feelings about it. 

Yesterday we picked up Husband's car. And it wasn't cheap but it does run really nicely. 

And today is Friday. It's been a long, emotional, expensive 2 weeks. My new car is the only car in the parking lot. (Besides the stupid van.) And we won't know about M's heart for a while. I am still not worried because I don't have the emotions for that. 

Today I sat with Jesus in Adoration and I just admitted to him that I am weary. And mad. 

If the lesson was about humility, well I asked for a lot of help this week. Getting people to piano festivals and lessons, borrowing cars, asking for prayers. I am thankful for my friends who were able to help so I don't think gratitude is the problem but if He wants me to be grateful I am. 

I don't know what the reasoning for all this to happen in a 2-week span was. My soul is tired. 2 cars, a cancelled trip (with tickets to things that we couldn't get money back for), my daughter's heart and my FIL's health being not great. Among all the rest of the day-to-day life things, I am just emotionally done. 

Oh, plus I have a paperweight of a car that I don't know what to do with. We bought our car from a different dealer than where it is. Where it is would have given us a lowball but still something amount as a trade-in. But now we need to get rid of it somehow.

Junk cars are a racket. It has a 2-month-old battery, a full tank of gas, and no rust anywhere. They could sell the doors alone for more than $25 each so getting $100 is insulting. Hopefully, Jesus has a plan for that too. 

So... that's my story. There's been plenty of God moments mixed in with the challenges. And I have always lived by the theme that "If a problem can be solved with money it isn't a problem." And yes, most of these things are inconveniences and not life-or-death problems but there's a few health things mixed in there that are in fact not solvable with money. 

I know we will get through it. But it was a lot in a short little time. 

Sunrise on the Reaping

 Yesterday, Sunrise on the Reaping was released.

I had pre-ordered it in June and was anxiously awaiting 11:00 CST when I knew it would hit my Kindle. It actually took until 11:02 and when I tell you I went through all the emotions thinking I would have to wait until Midnight... it's not a lie. 

Anyway, I snuggled in and got straight to reading. 

Back in the old prekids day, I used to stay awake for book releases. When the last Harry Potter came out I not only waited in line the night before for a wristband to buy the book as soon as possible but I had my brother go get the car at 11:55. We might have been the 4th book sold at the Barnes and Noble that night but I was the first person out of the parking lot! I went straight home and read the whole thing finishing about 6:00 or 7:00 am. 

And that was in 2007 and I am much older and require much more sleep these days. So I started reading at 11:00ish pm and started dozing off about 2. Then I had a resurgence of energy for about a half hour at 3:00 and passed out from 3:30-8:00. Then I finished reading from 8:00-11:00 am. 

Not too shabby but also not too impressive either. 

Anyway... my mind was blown many many times in the first 3 chapters and I continued to be surprised at the connections being made. 

There was a point where I was confused as to why we were seeing so many characters we already knew and it almost felt lazy, but the more I think about it, that is exactly what we should expect from Panem and Haymich. Just as Katniss wins and realizes that she will be playing the game for the rest of her life, so too does Haymich have to come to that conclusion and it would make sense that we'd meet other victors living that same life. 

It is a hard book to read in that you know what to expect and you already know Haymich wins his games: so all the other tributes have a death sentence and emotionally that's complicated. But getting to know why Haymich is the way he is and seeing how much he lost gives so much insight. 

If you like the Hunger Games: you'll probably like this book. 

And I don't think it's a spoiler to say brush up on your Edgar Allan Poe because there's a lot of it. 

If you haven't read Ballad of Songbird and Snakes... I wouldn't start here. They're definitely meant to be read in the order they were written. Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mocking Jay, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Sunrise on the Reaping. 

What's next? Hopefully a Finnick book. Or a Beetee book. Though I would LOVE an Effie book myself. 

If you yourself have already read the book... let's chat!!

A Leprechaun Trap

This week is Spring Break. We had not intended to be home for St. Patrick's Day but the world had other plans for us so we were. 

One blessing is that the kids, even though they're far too old really, made a Leprechaun trap and it brought joy to my heart. Creativity and imagination are never problems to me. 

I present to you The Green Hotel that definitely did not catch a Leprechuan. 

We had a most uneventful day yesterday but we did watch the Quiet Man during our not fancy or green lunch. 

Honestly, other than a trap, a few shenanigans (the playroom was tped and some pictures got some beards and horns via dry erase markers) and a Lucky Charms breakfast that's all we did to mark the day yesterday but still... finding the little moments. 

How D'ye Do and Shake Hands

Remember when I didn't have any updates on anything interesting? I'll go back to that thanks. This past week has been... horrible. As there are no resolutions I will write about it all when there is. Today, on St. Patrick's Day let's focus on the actual good. 

M played in her first piano festival and earned a superior rating.

This was the warm-up room, no pictures or recordings were allowed in the actual room. 

And this week was C's musical Alice in Wonderland Jr. My little Tweedledee was delightfully cute. 

Husband's Aunt, Uncle and Grandma came to the daytime show which was so wonderful and cute! 

Since Grandma was in town just for a short time I called M out of class to come say hello. When your 80 year old Great Grandma is in the same building as you it seems silly not to say hello right?! 

M was really confused when the office called her down. 

And because it makes me happy, here is C's scene so you can see his knack for the stage. (It's less than 3 minutes long. He's the short Tweedle.) 

So these are the things that bring me joy. And golly, I am glad for the joy. Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!! 

Another Week With Nearly Nothing to Show For It

You guys. I apparently take no pictures anymore. 

So let's recap the last week with nearly nothing to show for it. Only this time it's March.

Saturday M had an explorers class in the morning. Then a playdate. I invited myself along to the playdate to tie dye with my very own bestie. It was fun. Then went to Mass and out to dinner because why not? 

Sunday we did NOTHING. And the angels rejoiced! I love a good day of nothing. I did take one picture: 

Miss M had gone to bed with wet hair and had a funny bed head curl to show for it. 

Monday happened. It wasn't bad. Just a day. I had a few meetings, all went well. 

Tuesday day happened. Again. Lots of meetings. M's piano lesson got cancelled. But that evening I went to another free library class but this time I took a friend! 

After the class I took her out for a dinner because she turns 40 TODAY! 

Wednesday was Ash Wednesday. I went to the 8:30 Mass and somehow had to be an ASHER! Which was way way harder than I thought it would be. 

Then I went over to the school for a few things and all the kids were like, "How did you get ashes already?!" 

I did go to the very beginning of the very crowded school Mass because C's class was leading. 

Anyway. So it's Lent. Blah. And it doesn't even really feel real since Exodus started in January so it's not like anything really changes now. 

Thursday, otherwise known as yesterday, was another day full of back-to-back meetings. Truly. And then M's rescheduled piano lesson was cancelled. And my baptism class couple cancelled too. So suddenly the evening freed up and we went to Texas Roadhouse for Dinner after C got done with his long rehearsal. I took no pictures of dinner, but it was really lovely. 

Even waiting in the car was okay because we got to just chat. Though we did watch a truck run over a Barbie and it was actually really sad. When we ate and came out of the restaurant, Barbie was sitting on a rock. My kids made a whole backstory for the Barbie and it was just one of those nights that wasn't particularly special but I will remember for a long time for its normalcy. 

Today... I had a meeting this morning. We've got a doctor's appointment this afternoon, rehearsal, and then family movie night. 

And that's been the week. Yay March.